Wide-area networks, including world-wide networks, such as the Internet, have become useful tools for personal and business use. The most ubiquitous network, the Internet, began as a system to provide general communication and has grown into a medium that supports world-wide broadcasting, information dissemination, collaboration, and commerce between people and businesses. In the modern version of the Internet, people may use it to conduct personal, financial, legal, and other business. Using systems connected to the Internet, people may engage in all kinds of online commerce. For example, the Internet has enabled consumers to purchase goods using online stores and auctions. Using computer systems, and the Internet, to purchase goods carries challenges that are unique to that environment.
One significant challenge is validation of user input. In an online auction setting, validating a user identity, auction listing information, and bidding information is essential to provide a reliable and secure auction platform. However, due to the nature of electronic auction systems, some data entry errors may be harder to detect because of the lack of an intelligent systems. Thus, there is a need in online auction systems for mechanisms to detect data errors and reduce or minimize the occurrence of using or accepting invalid data input.